Flatulence is a natural body function that happens during both wakefulness and sleep.
“It’s normal to have gas in your digestive tract and fart in your sleep, especially if you go to bed shortly after eating dinner, said Dr Ranga Santosh Kumar, consultant general physician and diabetologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad.
As the body digests food, bacteria naturally produce gas in the large intestine. While some amount of gas is normal, excessive gas can be caused by swallowing air, eating certain foods, pregnancy and menstruation, and a variety of digestive disorders.
“Certain health conditions, lifestyle choices, and what you eat and drink during the day can contribute to how much gas your body produces,” said Dr Kumar.
According to Dr Kumar, the average person passes gas around 13 to 21 times a day. “Most gas gets passed while a person is awake. The digestive system slows down after a person falls asleep, which reduces the amount of gas produced by about half.”
While gas is usually nothing to worry about, it may be a sign of an underlying health issue if it’s accompanied by other symptoms, such as pain, vomiting, or unexplained weight loss.
While people have some control over when they flatulate during the day, muscles in the anal sphincter relax after falling asleep and gas passes involuntarily, explained Dr Kumar.
What to keep in mind?
Everyone swallows some amount of air, but swallowing too much air can increase gas. “Swallowed air that isn’t relieved from burping builds up and is released through farting,” said Dr Kumar.